Furnace-charging mechanism.



No. 7I5,852` l 'Patented Dec- I6, H3025 P. C. PATTERSON.

FURNACE CHARGING MEGHANISM.

(Application led Feb. 25, 1902.)

me Nmmls 9:15025 co. Puoaumo., WASHINGTON, D. c.

No. 7I5,852. v

Patented Dec. I6, 1902.' P. C. PATTERSON. w FURNACE CHARGING M'ECHANISM.

(Applcation iled Feb. 25, 1902.)

um Model.)

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THE NORRIS PFTER$.CQ PHOTOUTHC'., WKSHINGTUN, D4 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER C. PATTERSON, OF MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

FURNACE-CHARGING IVIECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 715,852, dated December 16, 1902.

Application filed February 25, 1902. Serial No. 95,531. tNo model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER C. PATTERSON, a resident of McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Furnace-Charging Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism for charging tube-blanks into furnaces, and more especially for charging flat plates for making butt-weld tubing of double length into a furnace, although it is also applicable for charging fiat plates or U-shaped or tubular skelps of any length into a furnace.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism for this purpose whereby blanks of different lengths can be charged into the furnace, so that their front ends will be substantially at a uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening in the front of the furnace. l

A further object of my invention is to improve mechanism of this character in details of construction, as will hereinafter appear;

According to the most approved method of making butt-weld tubing iiat plates of the necessary length and thickness for making the desired size of tubing are charged into the furnace through an opening in the rear wall thereof and are allowed to remain in the furnace until their edges have been raised to a good welding heat. The front end of the plate is then grasped by means of tongs or like pipe-drawing tool inserted through the withdrawing-opening in the front end of the furnace. A bell is slipped over the tongs and the latter connected to the draw-chain, by means of which the plate is drawn out of the furnace and through the welding-bell, being thereby bent up into tubular shape, with its edges abutting, so that the pressure in the bell eifects the welding together of the edges. For the .efficient carrying out of this process it is essential that the furnace be run at a very high temperature iu order to bring the edges of the plate up toa welding heat quickly and prevent the heat from soaking into the body of the plate to such an extent as to render it too soft or yielding; otherwise it will not have sufficient stiffness to give the requisite pressure in the bell to cause the edges to weld together. It is also essential that the plate be quickly drawn out of the furnace and through the welding-bell as soon as its edges have been raised to the proper temperature. Rapidity of action on the partof a Welder in grasping a Vplate and attaching the tongs to the drawing mechanism is necessary, and in order to enable him to perform this work properly it is necessary that the front ends of the plates should be at a substantially uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening in the furnace. In hand charging the plates into the furnance the picker-man after the plate has been charged will position the same so that the ends of the plates will be at a substantially uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening. This pickerman Works at the rear end of the furnace; but with plates of proper length to form a single standard length of tubing he is able to see the front end of said plate and in that way properly position the same; but with plates of suiiicient length as to form two or more standard lengths of tubing it will be irnpossible for him to see the front end of the furnace with sufcient clearness to properly position the plate. This difficulty might be overcome by machine-charging, providing the plates were all of uniform length. In actual practice, however, the plates vary as much as two feet-that is, the longest plates are as much as two feet longer than the shortest ones-and all degrees of variation between these limits occur. All charging mechanisms heretofore used have no means for indieating when the plate was charged far enough, and such mechanisms have always been given a uniform stroke. Consequentlythe rear ends of the plates were left substantially on aline, while the front ends would not be at a uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening, but would vary according to the length of the plate. Hence hand .positioning has been necessary with all forms of mechanical chargers heretofore used; but, as above stated, with very long plates this is a difcult matter, and with all lengths of plates it necessitates an extra workman. It may happen that with IOO these long plates the front ends thereof will be at such varying distances from the withdrawing-opening as to seriously inconvenience the welder and cause such delay in grasping the front end of the plate with the tongs and drawing it out of the furnace as to not only decrease the output of the furnace, but also increase the amount of scrap and defective tubes. l The object of -myinvention is to overcome this difficulty and to provide mechanical charging means whereby plates or other tube blanks of any length can be charged into the furnace and left in such positions that their front ends will be at substantially a uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening. This I accomplish by providing a charging mechanism which is capable of being given a variable stroke, thereby enabling the short plates to be pushed farther into the furnace than the long plates, and provide in connection with such charging mechanism suitable indicating means whereby the operator is advised when the plate, no matter what its length, has been properly positioned in the furnace.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a diagrammatic view showinga horizontal section of the furnace and charging mechanism used in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the charging mechanism. Fig. 3 is a side View of the same; and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are transverse sections of Fig. 2 on the lines 4 4, 5 5, 6 6, and 7 7, respectively.

The furnace is shown at l, and it is or may be of the usual type used in the manufacture of tubing and preferably is heated by gas and of the regenerative type. The furnace is provided in its front end with the withdrawingopening 2, in front of which is the usual drawing mechanism, (not shown,) and in its rear end with the charging-opening 3. The tubeblanks are shown at 4, and Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically howthese plates varyin length, so that if their front ends are approximately a uniform distance from the withdrawingopening 2 their rear ends will be at various distances from the charging-opening. This will at once suggest the necessity of giving the charging mechanism a variable stroke to compensate for the differences in the lengths of the plates. Inasmuch as a number of plates must bein the furnace simultaneously and in order to avoid moving them sidewise in the furnace, it is preferable to have the charging mechanism movable laterally in front of the charging-opening, as is now the custom. I have therefore shown the charging mechanism 5, mounted on wheels 6, running on the tracks 7, so that it can be moved laterally in order to charge the plate into the vacant space on the furnace-hearth. This carriage and the charging mechanism I prefer to make entirely self-contained, and to this end the motor for moving said carriage is mounted on the carriage. I have shown for this purpose a reversing electric motor 8, the armature-shaft of which is connected by suitable intermediate gearing to a gear 10 on a shaft 11, which runs the entire length of the carriage and in effect forms the axles for all the wheels 6 on that side of the carriage. By the motor 8, therefore, the carriage can be moved in either direction on the tracks 7, like an ordinary traction-vehicle.

On the carriage 5 is a suitable support for the tube-blanks, this support being shown as an angle-plate 12, which may be unbroken for the entire length of the carriage or be formed in several sections, as shown, in order to accommodate the grapples which transfer the plates to and deposit them on said support. The upright side 13 of this angle-plate forms a guide for one'edge of the tube-plates 14, while the other edges of said plates are guided by the angle-brackets 15, secured to the plate l2. In order to accommodate plates of different widths, these angle-brackets 15 are 'transversely adjustable on the plates 12- as, for instance, by securing them thereto by bolts 16, passing through the transverse slots 17 in the plate 12. The adjustment of these brackets is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Extending longitudinally of the carriage are suitable guides or tracks 20, preferably having top and bottom bearing faces, as shown. A buggy 2l or the like runs in these tracks. This buggy may be of any desired construction and is shown provided with four Wheels-two on each side-running in the tracks 20. Said buggy is provided with the upright standard 22, to the upper end of which is pivoted the pusher-rod or picker-arln 23. The upright 22 projects up at one side of the supporting-plate 12 and extends above the same, and the pusher-rod 23 is bent slightly to one side, so that its end lies above the supporting-plate 12 in position to engage the rear ends of the plates 14 and push them into the furnace when the buggy 2l is propelled along the track. Any suitable mechanism may be used for propelling the buggy, and I have shown for this purpose a chain or cable 24, having one end attached to the front end of the buggy and thence running to the forward end of the carriage 5, where it passes around a grooved wheel or sheave 25 and thence passes back to the rear end of the carriage, being supported at intervals by rollers or other supports 26, mounted in the Wheelframe 27. At the Vrear end of the carriage said cable is wound one or more times around a grooved drum 28 and has its other end connected to the rear end of the buggy 2l. The drum 28 is journaled in suitable bearings on the rear end of the carriage 5 and maybe driven by any suitable motor. I have shown for this purpose an electric motor 30, the armature-shaft of which is connected by suitable intermediate gearing with the shaft of the drum 24. This motor will be of any approved reversing type, so that the drum 24 can be driven in either direction, thus propelling the buggy 2l longitudinally of the carriage rst in one direction and then in the IOO IIO

other. The motors 8 and 30 will be supplied with current from any convenient source and in any approved manner, and the operatingswitches therefor will be under the control of a person stationed on the carriage 5 or atsome other convenient place. These motors also are preferably provided with automatic brakes, as indicated at 32, so that they will quickly stop when the current is turned off.

In the operation of the mechanism the tubeplates will be placed upon the support l2, preferably with their front ends substantially in alinement. The variations in their lengths will then be manifest at their rear ends, and on the frame of the carriage opposite the rear ends of the plate are placed suitable designating-marks or indices, as shown at A B C D E,which in practice will be about six inches apart, thus giving an index for each half-foot of variation in the length of the plates. The mark nearest in line with the rear end of any one plate will be the designating-mark for that particular plate. Near the forward end ofthe carriage similar designating-marks are placed, as shown. The picker-fork will be brought into contact with the rear end of the topmost plate, and the buggy 2l is then propelled toward the furnace by means of the motor 30, thus pushing the topmost plate into the furnace. The forward movement of the buggy will be continued until the pivotalpoint 33 of the picker-fork or other convenient pointer is substantially above the indeX-line at the forward end of the carriage which corresponds to the designating-mark for thatparticular plate. This will indicate to the operator that the forward end of that particular plate is the proper distance from the withdrawing-openy ing. He will then reverse the motor, draw the buggy back, 'and repeat the operation upon the other plates in succession, taking care in all cases to note the index-line opposite the rear end of the plate which is to be charged and then stopping the buggy 2l in such position that the pivotal point of the pickenarm will be substantially above the corresponding index-line at the forward end of the carriage. Between the intervals of charging any two plates the carriage will be moved laterally across the furnace in order to bring it in proper position to charge the next plate into the vacant space on the furnace-hearth. 1

If desired, the rear ends of the plates on the support l2 may be placed in alinement, in which case the inequality in the lengths of the plates will be manifest at their forward ends, and a single set of indicating-marks on the forward ends may be made to serve both as the designating-marks for the plates and the lengths of the plates.l If preferred, two sets of indicating-marks may be placed on the front end of the apparatus, said sets being placed reversely with reference to each other.

In place of the indexing means shown various other devices for this purpose might be em ployed-such, for instance, as a clamp or the like secured to the driving-cable, which will be so positioned that it will be brought opposite the desired indicating-line when the plate has been fully charged into the furnace. Various other changes in the mechanism shown may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

While I have shown the invention applied to the charging of Hat tubeplates into a welding-furnace, it will be understood that it can be used in a similar manner for charging any tube-blank into the furnace, even bent-up skelps for making lap-Weld tubing, and these tube blanks, whether skelps or plates, may he of'any length. By means of this mechanism such blanks will be charged into the furnace with their front ends substantially at a uniform distance from the withdrawing-opening and irrespective of the length of the various blanks.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 'is- 1. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a support for the tube-blanks in line with said opening, mechanism arranged to engage a tube-blank and push the same into the furnace, and means forindicating the position for stopping the forward stroke of said mechanism.

2. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a support for the tube-blanks in line with said opening, mechanism arranged to engage a tube-blank and push the same into the furnace, indicating devices on the support, and a coperating indicating means on the charging mechanism.

3. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a support for the tube-blanks in line with said opening, mechanism arranged to engage a tube-blank and push the same into the furnace,and corresponding indicating devices at the front and rear ends of the support for indicating the position for stopping the forward stroke of said mechanism.

1t. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a support for the tube-blanks in line with said opening', mechanism arranged to engage a tube-blank and push the same into the furnace, indicating means on said support opposite the rear ends of the plates, corresponding indicating means near the front end of the support, and a coperating indicating means on the charging mechanism.

5. In tube-making apparatus, the combinationy with a furnace having a charging-open- IIO ing, a transversely-movable carriage at the rear of the furnace, said carriage having a support for the tube-blanks in line with the charging-opening, mechanism traveling 1ongitudinally of the carriage and arranged to engage the tube-blank and push the same into the furnace, and means forindicating the position for stopping the forward stroke of said mechanism.

6. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a supportA for` the tube-blank in line with said opening, a transversely-movable carriage on which said support is mounted, a pusher-bar arranged to engage a tube-b1ank and push the same into the furnace, mechanism for moving said pusher-bar longitudinally of the carriage, a motor mounted on the carriage for actuating said mechanism, and

means for indicating the position for revel's- 2o ing said motor.

7. In tube-making apparatus, the combination with a furnace having a charging-opening, of a support for the tube-plates in line with said opening, said support havimgr a Vertical abutment or Wall to guide one edge of the tube-plates, an abutment or bracket adjustably secured to the support and forming a guide for the other edge of the tube-plates, and mechanism arranged to engage the plate 3o and push the same into the furnace.

In testimony whereof I, the said PETER C. PATTERSON, have hereunto set my hand.

PETER C. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TOTTEN, F. W. WINTER. 

